It's a man's world
by ReeseisLAVAhot
Summary: Katherine Greyson works in a heavily male-populated field. She's tough as nails when she needs to be. One evening she meets John Reese, a man that makes her feel like the woman she truly is. I'm bringing back a co-authored fic so that I can continue the story as I decide how to proceed with my CaReese story/project.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kat grabbed her coat off the rack in her office, checked the pocket for her wallet and keys, slipped on her pumps and sighed. The rest of her night stretched in front of her, the as every other night this week. She would go home, make herself dinner and eat it while watching some mindless drivel on TV. When it got to the point where she could no longer stand it, she'd go to bed and then repeat it all over the next night. Granted she knew there were friends she could call, they could all go out to the clubs or perhaps a movie, but what would be the point? She would still inevitably be going back to an empty apartment. Unless she chose to accept one of the invitations that would result from going out to the clubs with her friends. 'Fat chance!' She thought to herself. A one night stand would mean allowing someone to just use her body and that would leave her feeling even worse than being alone.

She locked up the trailer that served as her office while on the job site and carefully picked her way across the site. She was always extra careful, it was one of her trademarks one of the reasons she never had any trouble finding skilled workers. She hadn't had an on-site accident in five years, a fact that was almost unheard of in this business. But she the people who worked with her as a family and she was conscious of her responsibility and took their safety very seriously. Besides, her people knew her well enough to know that anyone had left materials where they shouldn't, she'd find out and have their balls for breakfast.

She reached the gate around the construction site and waited for Frank, the night watchman to come around. Other companies might be able to afford the loss of a few materials here and there, but her small company, in order to remain competitive in the trade, couldn't afford to lose even a welding helmet. She double locked the chain and then connected alarm. The alarm was more of a deterrent than anything. Anyone who tried to open the gate to get any of the big equipment out would be frightened off by the loud screeching followed by the appearance of Frank from wherever he was at the moment.

"Good evening Ms. Greyson." Frank said when he saw her waiting for him at the gate. "All locked up?"

"Hi Frank. Yes, all locked up. Have a good night and say hi to Sheri!" She asked after his wife and then began walking towards the nearest subway station. She walked down the street, her shoulders thrown back and her head held high with a confidence that belied her internal struggle with the fear of being alone. She thought about how she had inherited company.

Her parents had been killed in a car accident when she was thirteen, leaving just her and her older brother. They had gone to live with their aunt and uncle for a year but as soon Mike had turned of legal age, he took over her guardianship with their uncle's blessing. Her dad had had part ownership in a construction company with her uncle at the time of his death. Her uncle continued to run the business in trust for her and her brother, hoping that when he came of age, Mike would take over the company. But then, Mike had surprised everyone by joining the Army. Her uncle had been ready to sell off the business at that point when Kat had stepped up and said that she would run it. Everyone had laughed at the idea but when she made a profit the first year she took over after studying architecture and business in college, they stopped laughing.

The problem with running a construction business was that she was often not taken seriously due to the fact that she was a woman. None of her employees thought she knew what she was talking about when she suggested a few changes here and there. They had been rather resistant but slowly, as her changes began to make the work site safer and the business more profitable, she gained a bit of respect and they were more willing to go along with the bigger, more sweeping changes she had wanted to institute. They became more willing to learn the new techniques she suggested and her designs, while radical, were now a source of pride for her workers. People all around the city were beginning to take notice of her style and she had recently had to turn away work because she was already working on several other projects. Everything was working out just as she had planned and yet...yet she still felt this emptiness inside.

Kat's footsteps were all but silent as she walked down the dark and deserted street. She was not worried about being accosted. One good thing about Mike joining the Army was he had taught her all manner of self-defense and how to use several different types of weapons. She always carried a Sig P226concealed on her person. It had been a bitch trying obtain the permit here in NYC but the safety she felt knowing she had it, was priceless.

She turned a corner and suddenly found herself in the middle of a group of men pointing guns at each other. She immediately flattened herself against the building and reached for own weapon, while taking in the situation. The group consisted of three men on her side of the street, one of them holding a young boy. The men were pointing their guns at a fourth man on the other side of the street. Part of her brain registered how good looking the man was while another part saw the small flicker of his eyes that indicated he knew she was there.

"Let the boy go. Trust me, it's not worth what your boss is paying you." The tall, dark-haired, handsome man said in a voice that sent chills up her spine.

"It's not always the money, my friend." The man next to the one holding the boy replied in heavily accented English. "This boy's father is the whoreson who sent my brother to prison!"

The man spat in the direction of the boy, who tried to move away but he was brought up short by the one holding him and cuffed across the head. At this, Kat narrowed her eyes made a decision. She hated it when people hurt kids!

"Well then, don't say I didn't warn you." The solitary man spoke once more.

"Oh, I don't think I have anything to be worried about." The kidnapper, as Kat realized he must be, replied. Her eyes quickly darted to the darkness behind the lone man who was trying to rescue the child. She saw a slight movement there and only had a split second to react. She was already kicking off her heels when she fired over the rescuer's head. Taken by surprise at shots fired from an unexpected direction, the kidnappers didn't have a chance to react before she had ducked and grabbed the kid up, running towards the solitary She sent a silent prayer of thanks heavenward as she heard him returning shots at the kidnappers. After appearing to be shooting at him, he could just as easily have returned her

"shot", not realizing that she was shooting at someone sneaking up behind him. The man gave her enough cover fire, that she was able to shoot past him with the child and run quickly down an alley out of the line of fire. She heard his footsteps behind her and the shouts from the kidnappers. After dodging down another alley, she crouched down behind dumpster to catch her breath. The boy looked up at her with wide, trusting eyes. A second later, they were joined by the boy's would-be rescuer.

"Well Ms... it seems that both young Jim here and I owe you some thanks."

"It's Kat, and you're welcome."

"Thank you Miss Kat, your timing was..."

"No, it's just Kat. And could we quit the small talk here? I'm pretty sure that getting shot at cuts through all the social niceties."

The man gave her a smirk and nodded. "As you say, Kat. I'm Reese. Now, if you'd hand Jim over to me, we need to get out of here. Those Russians won't dare give up. They were paid to do a job and if they don't accomplish it...it won't go well for them."

Kat handed the boy over to Reese and as she did, her hand brushed his. The incidental contact lit her up like a bolt of lightning and she felt parts of her respond, causing her to almost gasp aloud. 'Oh hell, what a time to have feelings like that! Get yourself together, Kat!' She berated herself. She followed Reese quietly down to the end of the alley and down yet another.

Without warning, a shot rang out from in front of them. "Stop!" A harsh voice came from a doorway and one of the kidnappers stepped out, followed by the other three. "There are very few ways out of this area, my friend. And none of them will get you out of this situation! Now, drop your weapons!"

Kat hesitated but threw hers down after she saw Reese drop his. She couldn't believe that he was giving up so easily! One of the men drew a knife out of his belt and approached

Reese and the boy.

"Kat." Was all Reese said when he shoved the boy in her direction. Reese then positioned himself in front of her and the boy. The man with the knife just smiled evilly and continued approach Reese.

Kat grabbed a hold of the boy's small shoulders and pushed him into the doorway behind her. She was determined that no one would harm him. The man with a knife was joined by second and then a third, all approaching Reese, and all with knives in their hand. 'This is going to get messy.' Was her last thought before instinct took over. Reese dodged two of men almost at the same time while the third feigned trying to get under his guard. Instead, the third kidnapper rushed right towards her. She managed to block his slash while earning only a nick in return. In front of her she saw Reese kick out and connect with one of his enemies but she didn't have time to observe anything else as her attacker came at her once more. She quickly used one of the moves her brother taught her and in one quick twisting motion, she managed to disarm and knock out her attacker. She leaned down and scooped up Reese's Sig from the ground and shot at the last remaining kidnapper as Reese finished taking down the two who had come after him. Then she reached down, picked up her own Sig and tucked it into the waistband at the small of her back.

In the silence, they both stood there panting. Reese recovered first. "Those were some very good moves there Kat. Remind me never to pick a fight with you! Where did you learn fight like that?"

His words sent a thrill through Kat. For some reason, she felt like grinning like an idiot. She didn't have a chance to answer though because his phone rang at that exact instant.

Giving her a rueful smile that made her legs feel like mush, he turned his back to her and answered it.

"What is it Carter?" He paused. "NOW? But I'm not quite done here. Yes, I have the boy. And you're sure? Ok, I'll be there in just a few minutes." Reese turned back to her.

"Well, it appears I'm needed elsewhere, RIGHT NOW according to my...'boss'. Let me call you a cab before I return Jim here home to his father."

"I'll be fine. You go on and do what you need to do. Bosses shouldn't be ignored." She smiled, thinking of what would happen if any of HER men tried to ignore her orders. "You never know when they'll replace you!"

Kat's smile almost knocked him off his feet, and it was a second before Reese could reply, "I doubt that I'll be replaced...but I'll feel better knowing that you're safe in a cab. It's least I can do."

Kat recognized the stubborn look in his eyes. God knows she'd seen it enough in her own eyes at times, when looking in the mirror, so she accepted his offer. Besides, she no longer had any shoes and she wasn't about to go back and look for them! They walked over several streets until they located one that was a bit busier. As Reese hailed her a cab, Kat felt a tug on her skirt. She leaned down and looked the child in the eyes. "You take care of yourself, Jimmy." The boy threw his arms around her neck and hugged her fiercely.

"Thank you for saving me, kitty cat." He whispered in her ear. She hugged him back and then looked up at Reese as he was holding the door open for her. He had a strange look eyes.

"Thank you again Kat, for your assistance tonight."

She gave the boy, Jim, one last squeeze before she stood and walked over to the cab. She stepped down onto the street and stood between the door and Reese and looked up him. She certainly wouldn't call herself short, at 5'6, she was actually considered average height but the way she had to angle her neck just to meet his gaze, she 'felt' awfully short at the moment. Until then, she hadn't noticed how exceptionally tall he was.

"I don't know what your role in all 'this' was tonight but, you're welcome."

She saw Jim walk over and tug on Reese's coat. The smile that he gave the boy as he looked down at him just about knocked her over. Jim's little eyes flicked up at her and then back at John and then he whispered. "Mr. Reese, I have to go potty."

"OK, Jim. Just a second." John looked back up at Kat and the side of his mouth jerked up into this little half smile that almost made her giggle.

She smirked back at him. "I think you need to go Reese. Little Jim there, is doing... 'the dance'." He didn't respond but he did look down at Jim.

Kat moved to get into the cab but she was stopped by his hand on her arm. "Would you like to... maybe... meet for coffee, or...something, sometime?"

Jim tugged on Reese's coat again as he was bouncing. "Please, Mr. Reese. I gotta go bad."

He glanced down at Jim again and then back at Kat. She inhaled to respond but he continued before she could get the first word out. "To thank you...for your help tonight, Kat."

"Reese..I'd really...umm." Her voice broke as she felt his thumb stroke her arm. She took another deep breath to steady both her breathing and her nerves. "John...please call me John." He quickly got out.

"OK, John..."

He really liked the way she said his name.

"Mr. Reeeese." Jim whispered again.

"I'd...like that, but I really think you've gotta go now." She looked down to little Jim, insistently tugging on John's coat again. Then her eyes flickered over to his fingers encircling arm. He held her for another second before he removed his hand. He nodded and reached down to take the boy's hand in his and Kat couldn't help but notice how it completely swallowed up Jim's tiny little hand.

"OK Jim, let's go." And then he turned and they were rushing down the sidewalk, probably headed to the closest bodega. She turned to get into the cab when she heard John's voice calling her.

"Kat! Will you meet me tomorrow... at The Coffee Pot?"

She smiled as answered back. "9th and 49th, right?"

"Yes! Nine O'Clock?"

"I'll see you then!" He raised an arm in a wave and then turned back around to hurry away with Jim.

She could feel the achingly wide smile on her face as she got into the cab. A date...she had a date! Well, OK maybe not a real date, but she was meeting a man...for coffee. 'Holy God that man was enticing', she thought. And he had good taste in guns and could definitely handle it well, and he had saved a child, and he was so...tall. She sighed heavily and leaned her head against the backseat. She closed her eyes and started replaying the events of the evening. She wondered how he had become involved in saving a kidnapped little boy. He certainly didn't seem like law enforcement. Maybe he was a private investigator that had a military background. When she had caught some of the fight between John and two of the kidnappers she had immediately thought military. Some of his moves reminded her of some of the moves that her brother and his friends had taught her. That was definitely one of the questions she had for him tomorrow.

The cab pulled up to the front of her brownstone.. Kat handed the cabbie some money and stepped out onto the sidewalk. She bounced up the stairs to the front door and let herself in.

She walked into her apartment, pocketed her keys and hung her coat up on the wall hook. For the first time in...she wasn't even sure how long, she didn't head straight for the kitchen to start her dinner. Instead she headed for her bedroom. She flipped on the light and walked over to her closet.

'What am I going to wear tomorrow?' Kat thought. She didn't want to dress up for coffee on a Saturday morning but she certainly wasn't going to go looking like a slob either. She decided on a long sundress with a light sweater. Just enough to keep the morning chill out. She also decided on a pair of high heeled sandals which would make her feel less...short next to him. She chuckled to herself. Usually it was the exact opposite. She hated having to worry about wearing anything higher than her everyday work pumps around men because anything higher and she would tower over them. She knew men were sensitive about those things and she tried to be conscious of that. She also knew that they might feel a little differently about her if they knew she could take down most of them in a fight without much effort. Then there were the steel-toed boots that she wore around the work site which made her feel even less feminine. She might have to dress a little less feminine while at work, but afterwards she liked to dress like the woman she was.

Kat spent the rest of her evening lying on the couch thinking about the man she was meeting with tomorrow and trying desperately to calm her racing heart. She wasn't able to so eventually she went in and took a long, hot, bath to help relax her before she crawled into bed. She ended up tossing and turning until almost midnight when she finally succumbed to the welcomed peace of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kat woke much earlier than she would normally have on a Saturday morning. Typically, she would sleep until she couldn't ignore any longer the sun's bright rays shining down on her through the bedroom window, but not this morning. She looked over at the clock; it was almost six thirty. She jumped out of bed and headed for the shower. She washed her long hair and took extra care when drying and combing it out until it was smooth and shining. She swept it back and put on some makeup. She didn't go all out, only because this was a morning date, not an evening date but she still made up her eyes. She loved putting on the extra little finishing touches that she didn't...wouldn't do when she went to work. It was hard enough being taken seriously as a woman in the construction business but to put on makeup and try to look feminine would have made it even harder, even being the owner the damn company.

Kat stepped back from the mirror and surveyed the first layers of her look and was satisfied. She walked back into her bedroom and slipped on her dress and sweater. She glanced at the clock; it was almost eight. She figured she'd leave early and be able to have a few minutes to make sure she was calm before Reese...before John that is, got there. She put on her shoes and grabbed a little purse that she could wear across her chest like a tiny messenger bag, to carry her wallet in. She wasn't going to take her gun to her date. Plus she really didn't need it during the day or while she was with HIM. Based on the little she knew of John Reese, she suspected he was never without his gun. She grabbed her wallet and cell, threw them into her purse and locked her door as she stepped out into the hall and down to the street.

It only took Kat fifteen minutes to get to The Coffee Pot. She liked this place. The lines were never long like at the Starbucks a block away and the coffee was infinitely better. She also liked the atmosphere better. There were several nice couches, all leather, some comfy looking chairs, tables scattered here and there and a little stage for the occasional live band. It was a nice place to come in the evenings when a local band was scheduled. It was never over-crowded but even when it was busy, she'd never felt uncomfortable like in some other places she'd been out to with her friends. She just didn't enjoy the club scene anymore. She would much rather spend time with friends in a place where she could hear herself think and where every other guy wasn't trying to get into her pants.

She walked up to the counter and ordered a simple mocha latte. When the barista handed it to her, she asked Kat if she needed anything else. Kat went ahead and ordered a cinnamon scone since she still had about a half hour before John arrived. She went to one of the tables up near the front and sat down to wait. The scone was delicious and so was the coffee. From her table she could people-watch through the large front window and of course watch for him. The closer it got to nine, the more she felt her stomach flip-flopping around inside her. 'Butterflies...HA'! Nothing that small and delicate could feel as intense as her insides felt at the moment. She wasn't even sure why...she'd been on plenty of dates and even some blind dates and none of them had made her this nervous. Deep down, she knew why but she wasn't about to let her mind entertain the notion at the moment...

She looked at the clock again, five after nine. She frowned but didn't start worrying yet. Not everyone was as freakish about being on time as her; she'd been kept waiting before.

She got up to throw away her napkins and the now empty cup and grabbed a magazine before she sat back down at her table. She allowed herself to become immersed in the article about some little starlet who was having issues with drug addiction. When she couldn't take the poor writing and the even worse pictures anymore, she looked at the clock again saw it was almost ten. She sighed and closed the magazine, went to put it back into the rack and walked out the door. She couldn't believe he'd stood her up. John didn't really seem like the type of man that made plans and then didn't show. Kat ran through the conversation from last night as she walked down the sidewalk back home. He had definitely said The Coffee Pot and confirmed the location. He had said nine... Wait a minute, she thought. He had said nine, but he hadn't specified am or pm...she had just assumed he meant in the morning. Maybe he had meant nine in the evening? The thought had her smiling, that maybe, just maybe she hadn't been stood up after all. She had a bounce back in her step by time she got back home again. She was going to get dressed up and be back at the coffee shop at nine and hopefully meet John then. She wouldn't let herself think that she'd had the time right this morning...she would stay positive until she was proven otherwise...

~~~~~~~Last Night~~~~~~~~

John got little Jim to a bodega just down the street so he could use "the potty" and then returned the boy promptly to his father. When John got back to his apartment and finally stepped into the steaming hot shower, his mind turned to the woman who had helped him so efficiently...Kat. The thought brought a smile to his face.

Where had she come from? Where did she learn how to fight like that? From the little he'd seen, her moves were military based, but she was most certainly not in the service. She intrigued him; a beautiful woman, who could handle herself in a fight. But there was something else about her...he'd been around plenty of beautiful women, Detective Carter, Dr. Tillman, Zoe, that sick and twisted Turing, aka "Root", and he hadn't been tempted...not once, to ask any of them out. He bowed his head into the spray, allowing the water to wash the sweat and dust from the earlier fight off of his body. He also hoped that it would allow some clarity to his thoughts on Kat. The hot water was like a caress to his sore muscles, running in rivulets down his neck, chest, back, and finally down to his legs. Instead of clarity, the relaxing nature of the water brought on different kinds of thoughts about the woman.

Her long, dark, auburn hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. He imagined reaching back and sliding the holder down, freeing the silky strands so that he could run his fingers through it. Then he threaded his fingers through it again and closed his hands. He used them to pull her head gently back so that her face was turned up towards his. Her eyes shone up at him, but he couldn't tell what color they were. He hadn't been able to see...it had been just a bit too dark. He would find out tomorrow... Her eyes shone up at him and her mouth parted as he leaned down to take her lips with his...

'What the hell!' He thought. He'd known the woman for less than an hour. He shouldn't be thinking of her like that! But God help him, he wanted to think of her like that. It had been SO long since his mind had turned to those types of thoughts about a woman. He shook his head as he grabbed the shampoo bottle. He squeezed some out into his hand and started massaging the foamy liquid onto his hair...his thoughts unwittingly turned back to Kat again. Her fingers were running over his scalp and then drifting down his neck and across his shoulders. They slid slowly down past his shoulder blades, down the curve of his spine, until they reached his... John shook his head again and quickly flipped the hot water handle 'off' and stepped further into the water as it quickly turned to freezing. It did what he intended it to do. He rinsed the shampoo from his hair and the rest of his body and turned water completely off. He grabbed the towel off the rack and dried faster than he normally would have as he got out of the shower. He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed straight his bed where he collapsed and fell asleep almost immediately.

When John woke the next morning, it was to his cell phone ringing insistently. He glanced at the screen and groaned. He pressed the little green button to connect the call. Ever since Finch had been kidnapped by Root two weeks ago, he had been contacted by the Machine through his secure cell. The same way that John had seen Harold contacted about Henry Peck's number except that now, the Machine was contacting John directly to let him know when a new number had come in.

John got out of bed and walked over to the computer on his table and pressed a key, which woke the computer up and then he typed in his password to access the machine. This was something else that had changed since Finch had been taken. After the strange call from the payphone in which a computerized voice had told him to go back to the library, he'd gone back to collect all of the computers and the "black box", as he had started to refer to the case that held the 'backdoor' mainframe to the Machine as he'd been told to. He'd sat down in Finch's chair and pressed a key. The monitors immediately jumped to life and a box had popped up asking for the new password. He'd stared at it for several minutes before entering a ten character password. He hadn't been sure what it would do or if it would work, but it did. Several things began scrolling across the monitors and the printer started beeping and then paper started moving into it and spitting back out not only a picture of a man but a copy of his driver's license, his work history, and several other documents. John didn't know what he was supposed to do; he felt...lost. Finch had always directed their conversation regarding a new number...which is what John assumed this information was for. He sat for a few more minutes before he started looking over the printouts in earnest. He could do this...and would; for Harold. He couldn't, in good conscience, let something happen to someone else while he was searching for Harold. John would continue his job as he searched for him. It was the least he could do, giving someone else the second chance at life just as Harold had given him his.

John had ended up finding the man, a George Stanfield, whose number had come up. He had even worked with both Carter and Fusco to take down Mr. Stanfield, who was one of Elias's men on the outside. Mr. Stanfield had been stalking a woman, Katherine Greyson for quite some time. The woman owned Greyson Family Construction and the reason she had been targeted was because she had been hired for several jobs that were in Elias's territory. Apparently, Elias had not taken kindly to the idea of not being able to oversee the permits control what was able to be built and where and was especially put out about losing the money involved in granting the permits. John had never seen the woman in person, he had only heard her name mentioned in the conversations that he'd overheard between Elias and Stanfield. Elias was extremely adamant about the woman taking an extended visit to see her parents. Stanfield had laughed at that and had asked how long her dearly departed parents had been gone. John had immediately emailed a copy of the recording to Carter and sent Fusco out to the construction site where Ms. Greyson had been working, while John had met up with Stanfield. He'd made quick work of taking down the man less than a block from the site and happily handcuffed him and delivered him to Fusco. The whole operation had run incredibly smooth for being the first one that he'd handled without Harold.

After that, he had packed up everything in the main room, along with the black box and all of his weapons stash and loaded it all into the second Lincoln that Harold had kept on hand, just for emergencies. John deemed this an emergency situation. He took it all to his apartment and set it back up there. He was not sure if the library had been compromised or not, but he wasn't going to take any chances. He had had an overwhelming sense of panic when he booted everything up for the first time but in seconds all of the monitors were again coming to life. John had worked two numbers in the two weeks following; both victims, which made John feel all the better about pulling himself together and working the numbers while still searching fiercely for Harold.

He'd been out on several leads that had come from information provided by the Machine but each time John thought that he had narrowed down Harold's location, he came up short. It was so frustrating, and he was beginning to understand how Harold felt before he had found John. He was also frustrated that the Machine would not come right out and tell him where Harold was.

Bringing himself back to the present, John booted things up and made a quick cup of coffee as today's number had been printed. John sighed. He'd really been looking forward to seeing Kat again this morning, had been dreaming about it almost all night in fact, a welcome change from the nightmares that often took over his dreams. He tried not to worry about the fact that she would think he was a jerk and that he'd stood her up. He should have gotten her number last night! Jim's timing had been terrible. He was elated when she had agreed to meet at The Coffee Pot at...wait, he'd told her nine o'clock, but he hadn't specified AM or PM! So, there was a chance, a small one, that he might still be able to meet up with her tonight, if this case was quick. Damn, he'd MAKE it quick! He knew he had a responsibility to Harold and the numbers, one he took very seriously, but he had been wishing for quite some time for a bit more of a normal life. He knew a family would be impossible in his line of work but he couldn't help wishing for someone to share things with; someone with whom he could be just John and not Mr. Reese, the ex-CIA operative and killer. Another part of his brain realized that whomever that woman was, just being with him would put her in danger. He wasn't sure if he could do that to another woman, but... then again, leaving Jessica hadn't helped HER in the end. In fact his leaving had had just the opposite effect! So, perhaps, just perhaps, if he could find someone who could take care of herself and he was careful and extra protective of her, he MIGHT just be able to have a relationship...

He shook himself out of his reverie and looked at the information the Machine had given him about this latest number. He memorized all the information including the man's place of employment... wait...wasn't that the same prison where Elias was currently being held? Thomas Becker worked at the Lincoln Correctional Facility in Manhattan. He'd been a corrections officer for ten years now. Once again, Reese wished that Harold was here to provide him with more information. If only Reese could get into Becker's financial records, he might be able to tell if he was being paid for some less than legitimate work. Well, there was no hope for it, he'd have to investigate this the hard way. So he got dressed, grabbed Detective Still's badge and drove over to the prison to question Becker. Perhaps a visit with Elias might not be a bad idea either, he'd been trained to read people during his days with the CIA and while his track record with Elias wasn't the best, he DID think he was becoming more and more familiar with the way the man's mind worked.

Arriving at the prison, Reese was just signing in when an alarm sounded. Instinctively, he reached for his gun in the waistband of his pants, only to realize he'd given it up. No firearms were allowed inside the prison. 'Fuck! This has to be Elias!' Reese swore to himself. To make matters worse, as standard procedure, Reese along with several lawyers servicing the inmates, were locked down until the emergency was identified. The lawyers milled around, speculating as to the nature of the emergency, but Reese just paced back and forth in front of the barred door, waiting. Finally, thirty minutes later, the doors opened and an officer escorted them to the main entrance. Another officer brought Reese his gun and told everyone that there was a situation in the prison and that for their own safety, they were not going to be allowed inside the prison today.

Reese was just approaching his car when his cell rang. Looking at the caller ID, he recognized the number of the phone he had once given Carter.

"Yes, Detective?"

"I just got a call from Lincoln Correctional Facility. You might want to meet me over there. Apparently our friend Elias has escaped. They called me since I was the arresting officer."

"I'm already on it Carter. I'll meet you here AFTER you find a safe place for your son. Elias took him once, he just might do it again as revenge for your putting him in prison."

"I already have Fusco taking him to a safe house. I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."

Once Carter arrived, it became clear that Reese's help would be unnecessary. The warden had taken a head count and already come to the conclusion Thomas Becker had been the one who helped Elias escape due to the fact that he was the only one of the officers missing. Since he was still wanted by just about every law enforcement agency, Reese would of little use to Carter in figuring out just how Elias had escaped. Instead, he told Carter he'd look around the area and see if he was able to pick up Elias's trail.

Reese walked around the prison in ever increasing circles, looking in alleys and abandoned buildings for any sign of Elias or Becker. It wasn't until late afternoon, that he stumbled across the body. He immediately called Carter up to inform her of the whereabouts of Becker's body. The man had been shot once between the eyes. 'So much for loyalty', Reese thought. He straightened up and decided that he'd done enough for the day. His number was both the perp and victim in this case and with Elias once more out on the street, Reese knew most of his days would now be spent saving people from Elias's organization. Determined to enjoy one last evening of freedom from the constant assault of the numbers, Reese hurried home to get ready to meet Kat, praying all the while that she would be there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Kat spent the day trying to keep busy so that she wouldn't drive herself crazy wondering if John would actually be there that night. She realized that the odds were slim to none but there was a chance. Besides, it wouldn't do her any good to sit around and it would only serve to make the day drag on.

First she busied herself with cleaning her apartment. She set up her phone in the stereo dock and turned on the playlist that she'd appropriately named 'cleaning songs'. It was filled with loads of upbeat songs that actually made the otherwise daunting chore, a lot more fun. Kat danced around to songs from 'Take A Hint' to 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. Oh she loved her 80's hair bands... For the first time ever, she wasn't overjoyed when the cleaning was done. The task didn't take nearly as long as she'd hoped. That's when she realized she was in trouble... _Wanting_ to clean?... Not happy when she was done?... What the hell was wrong with her?

Kat considered calling her hair dresser to see if she had any appointments available but decided against it. She didn't want to go overboard on anything, just in case John didn't show. She did however, decide to walk down to the little nail salon just a couple of blocks away to get a mani-pedi. It was something that she liked treating herself to every once in a while and this seemed like the perfect time and occasion for such a treat. She slipped on her sandals and headed out.

Thankfully, Luna, her favorite nail tech was available and Kat was able to relax for a bit. She listened as Luna told her about her recent trip back to Vietnam to visit her extended family, her twins who had just started Kindergarten and then she was asking Kat if she had any fun plans for her Saturday night. Kat must have dozed off while listening to Luna, because the woman patted her leg gently when she didn't answer her question. Luna's endless talk in her thick accent had always had a calming effect on Kat and this time was no different. Kat shook her head to wake herself up a bit.

"I'm sorry, Luna. What did you say?"

The little woman chuckled and asked. "So, you have plans tonight? Saturday night...hot date?" Luna wiggled her eyebrows in what Kat assumed was meant to be a sly look, but it made her giggle.

"I don't know Luna. Maybe."

"You pretty girl Kat. You should have date on Saturday night. I have cousin. He good man. His wife die almost year ago. He has job."

Kat smiled warmly at Luna and then leaned her head back against the comfortable leather pedicure chair. "You're very sweet Luna, thank you. But I'm hoping...maybe, tonight might work out. If not, I promise to give you a call." Luna chuckled and patted Kat's leg again indicating that she was finished. She walked up to the front of the shop and paid Luna, leaving a generous tip and walked out admiring her nails. Luna always did a fantastic job and Kat loved the feeling of being pampered and having something to show for it. The dark pink looked lovely against her lightly tanned skin. She had been blessed with her father's skin and she tanned easily, but had also received some of her mother's genes too.

Her mother had been a true red-head. Fair skinned and easily sunburned. Kat's hair had some of her mother's red but it was something she really only got to appreciate when the sun was shining on it. That's when she could pick out the red highlights that were all from her mom. Her thoughts drifted lovingly to her parents. She missed them terribly; her mother especially. She would have loved to talk with her about John and what had happened this morning and... Kat stopped that train of thought. She couldn't bring her mother back and wishing for something that wasn't going to happen was just bringing her spirits down. She had to be tough; there was no room in her life for feeling sorry for herself. Kat rolled her shoulders back and tilted her chin up and continued on her way back to her apartment.

About a block away from her apartment she stopped at a little boutique. She'd seen a little black dress that she thought would be perfect to wear tonight. She walked in and asked the woman at the counter if she could try on the dress. Kat was in luck; the dress was in her size. She took it back to the dressing room and tried it on. She was extremely happy with how it looked on her. It had thick straps and a sweet heart neckline. It hugged her full breasts nicely and then fell loosely around the lower part of her body. It stopped about midway down her thighs which showcased her long legs. She twisted back and forth a couple of times and fell in love with the way the dress moved. Kat looked at the price tag winced but then thought, 'screw it'. She rarely treated herself, so why not go all out today? She got dressed and took the dress up to the counter, paid for it and once again started back to her apartment.

By the time Kat got home, it was almost six thirty. She went and hung her dress up and then threw a T.V. dinner in the microwave because she was starving. She hadn't eaten anything since the scone she'd had this morning and she'd done quite a bit today to work up an appetite. She sat down and watched a bit of the news while she ate and then went to draw a bath. She started the water and squeezed some bath gel with lavender and rosemary essential oils into the stream and inhaled deeply, enjoying the luscious scents. She then wrapped her long hair up on top of her head and secured it with a jaw clip. She stepped in when the tub was about half full and reclined onto the back. The hot water quickly eased muscles that had been tense with anticipation since this morning. She didn't like feeling nervous, but what she did like was the fact that she was excited about meeting with a man. That had to mean something. She just hoped that he was feeling the same way and that he would be there tonight.

Kat heard her cell vibrating and looked over at where it was sitting on the rug by the tub. She rolled her eyes when she saw the caller ID display. She almost picked it up and answered it but decided not to. It was Liam McCabe; a foreman at one of her sites. Just about every other night he'd call her up and it was always the same thing, something that he deemed an emergency but never really turned out to be. The man was also constantly hitting on her, albeit, never in an overly obvious way because he'd found out firsthand how protective of Kat some of her guys could be. Their 'talk' with Liam had staved off the innuendos for a while but then he'd started back up again, but this time was more covert about it. He would always seem to 'turn up' when Kat was away from the rest of the crew, off by herself. She'd considered firing the man but decided if she ignored his advances long enough, he'd get the picture. It wasn't that she was afraid of Liam, he seemed like a nice enough guy around others but he kind of creeped her out sometimes. What didn't help was the fact that he was an extremely large specimen of a man. Six-three, maybe four, big hulking chest, legs the size of young oak trees. She knew deep down that she probably couldn't fend off someone of his size and that's probably why she didn't mind her crew being so watchful.

She couldn't imagine why Liam would be calling her at...she glanced at the time...holy shit it's seven-thirty! She stood up and grabbed the towel and quickly dried herself off. She put on her flimsy little black, lace panties and bra set and tried not to think about whether she would be the one taking them back off later, or perhaps….. As she slipped her dress over her head it caressed her skin lightly and her thoughts wandered to how it might feel if it were John's fingers running down her body rather than the dress. She felt her breath quicken and caught herself staring at a spot on the wall as she day-dreamed about a man she'd met only yesterday, stripping her out of her clothes and then taking her slowly on her own bed. She shook her head and blinked rapidly as she looked at herself in the mirror. 'What the hell is wrong with you?' Kat asked her reflection and then she smiled at herself. She actually looked pretty darn good, if she did say so herself and she was once again pleased with her decision to buy the dress. She slipped the clip out her hair and let her hair cascade down her back, well past her shoulders. She turned to view the dress from the back and she was almost as pleased with that side as she was with the front.

Kat pivoted and headed back to the bathroom to put on her makeup. She added a darker shade to her eye shadow for the evening and some dark blue eye liner that she smudged perfection, and topped it off with a light coat of mascara. Her finishing touches were a light dusting of bronzer and then a light rose-colored lip balm. She was once again pleased the results and couldn't help but smile as she slipped on her red wedge sandals, just to add a bit of color. Plus she could walk a pretty good distance in them and not be uncomfortable. Another glance at the clock and she decided it was time to go. She'd been put a little behind by her musings about John but she was determined not to let it make her nervous or feeling rushed. It was only eight; she had plenty of time to get there and settle in before nine. She grabbed her little black purse, keys, and cell and headed out the door.

About fifteen minutes later Kat found herself at The Coffee Pot's bar. Thankfully they served drinks that were a little stronger than coffee after seven. She ordered a Cosmo and her eyes surveyed the patrons, those that were sitting alone, those in groups, and those that looked like they were waiting on others to arrive and join them. By the looks of the equipment she saw being set up on stage, there was going to be a live band playing tonight. Next she took in the empty tables, couches and chairs. She decided on a couch facing the stage. Most of the couches, larger chairs and love seats had been moved from the back part of the place to up closer near the stage. There was a little alcove further back in the building where she and John might have a little more privacy but she wasn't sure about how John might see that...if he even showed up. 'Damn! Why did her thoughts keep turning to what she and John, virtually a stranger, might or might not do? You'd think she was a teenager the way her hormones were raging!'

She took her drink, and walked back to the couch and sat down. The drink was superb and she sipped from it frequently, hoping it would calm her nerves. Kat watched the band up and start to tune up their instruments as she continually checked the time. It was almost nine when she saw the door open out of the corner of her eye. She turned and her breath caught in her throat. Several people had come in at once but in that group, at the very back holding the door open for them all, was John. Her heart skipped a beat and in the next moment it was in her throat, making it very hard for her to swallow. Kat stood slowly; she wasn't sure if her legs would be steady enough to hold her. John stepped in and her eyes raked over him in obvious appreciation. He had on a gun metal gray, button down shirt and dark blue jeans that she would swear were made just for him. She stood there watching him look over the crowd, searching... a look of hopeful anticipation. When his eyes found her, standing there looking back at him, the smile that lit up his face floored her. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen anything so beautiful in her life.

Kat walked slowly so she wouldn't fall flat on her face and embarrass the hell out of herself, towards John. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She felt like she was grinning like an idiot. She lowered her head and watched her feet move across the relatively short space between her and John. When they met just at the edge of the bar, she stopped and looked up into the face of the man she'd been waiting for...well, for what seemed like forever, but really, it had only been a day.

"Hi." He greeted her simply.

'God, he was even more beautiful than she remembered.' Granted, she hadn't been able to see him very clearly under the few street lights when he'd put her in the cab last night, but oh what the darkness had kept hidden under its cover! She'd known how tall he was, but now, standing there in front of her, with no cab door between them, he was larger than life. The building's lights were shining down on his hair creating glistening highlights against the smattering of grey strands. His cheekbones were absolutely ridiculous, like something out of one of those cheesy romance novels she would sometimes read. But the eyes, above and beyond everything else, those eyes were the focal point for her. The iris of his eyes was a hue that couldn't possibly register on the color spectrum. She tried a couple times to respond before she was able to find her voice.

"Hi."

They stood there staring at each other for what could have been seconds, minutes, or hours, she wasn't sure which, nor did she care. All that mattered to Kat at that moment was that he was here.

"Would you like another drink, Kat?"

His question snapped her back into the present.

"Um..." She looked down at her empty glass and then back up at him. "Yes, please." She answered, as she set the glass onto the bar. John turned and waved at the person behind the counter and indicated that Kat would have another of the same. He ordered himself a Stella Artois and then handed Kat her drink. "Thank you." She told him.

"Thank you… for your assistance last night, Kat."

"Oh...you're welcome. I'm glad I could help." John's eyes flickered somewhere behind her and then back to her. He noted that the only seat now available was the one that offered most privacy.

"Would you like to go sit down?"

Kat nodded. "Sure."

She turned and saw that a group of couples had taken up residence where she had previously been sitting. In fact, the majority of the seats anywhere within the vicinity of the stage were now taken. Kat hesitated before she found one of the love seats that were open...in the very back…in the same little alcove that she had purposely chosen not to sit in. She started towards it with John at her side and then she felt his hand lightly touch the small of her back, guiding her. A gesture that may seem common to some women, but for Kat, it wasn't something that she'd experienced often. She could feel the concentrated warmth of his palm in that one spot and she felt a sharp pull in her stomach, like she was going down a really steep hill on a roller coaster ride. She decided that she liked the feeling very much.

When they reached the plush leather love seat Kat looked up at John. "This OK with you? I didn't see anything else open." She gestured with her chin towards the band that had started to play on stage. "It can fill up pretty quick on the nights they have the live bands here."

He smiled at her again and she thought she just might melt into a puddle on the floor. 'Damnit, she really needed to pull herself together or she was going to make a complete and utter fool of herself'.

"Sure. This will be just fine." John couldn't have picked a more perfect setting for their date if he'd tried. He wanted to get to know this beautiful, fascinating woman. Just as importantly, he wanted to know if she was as affected by him as much as he was by her.

He gestured for her to sit. She did so, leaving him to take the seat on her right. The love seat was a nice size, just enough room for two people to sit comfortably next to each other. It was also flanked by two side tables so that they could set their drinks down and not have to hold them for the duration of their stay. Kat didn't set hers down though; she needed to have something to keep her hands occupied. However, she almost regretted the fact when her hand twitched nervously at John's next words.

"I'm really sorry about this morning..." So he had meant nine in the morning and had missed it. Well, at least he was here now. That more than made up for it. "But I almost think it was worth it, being able to be here tonight." She raised her brows and her hand shook, almost spilling her drink. "You look lovely, Kat." His voice was soft and low, almost a whisper. The way he said it made his words feel like a caress over her skin.

"Oh..." She blinked slowly and then swallowed, with quite a bit of difficulty. "Thank you." She whispered. 'There was that smile again...' She thought.

"You're welcome."

"I'm glad you're here too. I was afraid that...you know." Her eyes dropped and she took a long drink before looking back up at him.

"That I had stood you up?" John finished for her. He winced as his fear was confirmed. He needed to let her know that he'd had a good reason, that he would never disappoint her like that if he could help it.

"Mmm hmm." She nodded and then finished her drink rather quickly. 'God, he was going to think she was a lush!' Kat set the empty glass on the table and then she felt his hand on hers. Her head turned back around to look at him.

"I wouldn't do that...never on purpose. Something came up. There was an emergency and I had to go to work for a while."

Her hand felt like it was on fire where his skin was touching hers. "So... uh... what do you do? If you don't mind my asking."

His hand pulled back from hers slowly but his eyes held hers. "It's a bit complicated, but you could say that I'm an independent contractor."

"Oh... in what field?"

"Risk management." John answered without missing a beat. "What about you, Kat? What do you do?"

She sat up a little before she answered. A habit she'd gotten into a long time ago. People tended to take her more seriously the straighter she sat...especially the men in her industry. "I own my own construction company, Greyson Family Construction." John cocked his brow at her. She was used to the surprised looks by now...a woman owning her own company, especially a construction company.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, my dad and uncle owned the business. When my parents passed away they left their part of the company to my brother and I. My uncle ran it after my dad died, hoping that Jordan would want to take over his half of the business after school but my brother really didn't want any part in it. He actually joined the Army, which is where I learned what I know about fighting and weaponry. I hung out a lot with Jordan and his buddies on base and they got a kick out of teaching his little sis how to beat up the boys that tried to get one over on a girl." She smiled at the memories her story was bringing up.

"Impressive." John said.

Kat chuckled. "Which part? The fact that I own my own company or the fact that I can take down a lot of men in a fight?"

"Both." John's eyes searched her face. Kat wasn't sure for what but his exploration made her self-conscious. She dropped her eyes again and felt her face warming. A second later she felt his fingers under her chin gently lifting her face until she raised her eyes again to meet his.

"Why do you do that?" He asked her as his head cocked to the side. He reminded her of an inquisitive child, his eyes wide and searching for knowledge.

"Do... what?" She was finding it increasingly difficult to speak with his fingers touching her. It was like he was sucking the intelligence right out of her. She really hated feeling like idiot but she just couldn't seem to do anything about it.

"Lower your head, like you're embarrassed when you're complimented."

"I didn't realize...I was...I guess. I don't think I do, normally."

"So then, it's just me?" A small part of him was thrilled to know he was affecting her so strongly.

"Well,... um..." She kept stammering until she finally decided to stop trying to form coherent sentences. She sighed and then he slowly smiled at her. "God, John...I swear, I'm not always this..." She couldn't lower her head because his fingers were still holding her chin up.

"I think it's very...endearing..."

"Oh..." She breathed. His fingers left her chin to very softly trace along her jaw and then continued in a path down her neck. Her lips fell open as she gasped almost inaudibly.

"...and quite lovely." John thought her skin felt like the softest silk he could imagine. His fingers began sweeping feather light traces along her collar bone. He was no longer holding her chin up but she didn't lower it. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she savored the effects of his touch. His hand began the ascent back up her neck and came to rest, cradling her where his thumb moved lazily across her skin. Her eyes slowly opened to find him leaning towards her, with his own eyes closed and less than an inch of space between them. All she had to do was move just the tiniest bit... and she wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to! 'What the hell was wrong with her'? Sitting here with this gorgeous man, ready and obviously willing to kiss her and God knows what else, and she was hesitating? She asked herself again what was wrong with her before answering herself...nothing. There was not a damn thing wrong with her. She closed the distance between them and felt heaven touch her lips. John's other hand immediately rose to the other side of her face and pulled her in tighter. He didn't deepen the kiss immediately. Instead, she knew, he was allowing her all the control. She lifted one hand to thread her fingers through his short hair, and the other rose to stroke his face. Her subconscious mind told her that she should be careful with this man that she barely knew yet saw fit to accost in a public place, while her conscious mind had completely checked out a minute or so ago.

Kat opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and that seemed to be all the invitation John needed. He inhaled sharply and slid his arms around her back to pull her closer to him. His tongue demanded entrance into hers, which she gladly gave. The soft, velvety texture of his tongue entwining with hers elicited a soft moan. She heard his own answering response in the form of a low rumble that she felt deep in his chest. Her fingers that were wrapped around his head attempted to pull him even closer. Her other hand wrapped around his back where her fingers dug into him, trying to bring his body closer to hers.

Again, her subconscious was needling her to stop but for some reason she was completely unable to. It was like she was trying a drug for the first time and she just couldn't get enough. She wanted more; wanted to keep herself going on this luscious high. His hand had moved up from where her dress stopped to where her skin was accessible and bare. His fingers burned her skin there, she was sure of it...she would be able to see the burn marks in the mirror if she were to go look. Her back arched pushing her chest more firmly against his. She felt that deep rumble again...and then a much higher pitched rumble... There it was again! There was no way that sound was coming from John. She pulled back from him, breath coming in deep gasps. His eyes searched hers as a worried look crossed his face.

"Did you hear...?" She started to say… 'There it was again'. Her head rolled forward and came to rest against his. "Oh for fuck's sake!" She ground out surprising herself with her vehemence. She leaned back and pulled her damn cell phone out from her purse and looked at it murderously. "Fucking Liam." She grumbled. John's head snapped back at that. "I swear, I'm going to fire him on Monday." John cocked his head to the side in response. Kat looked up from her cell at John and read the inquisitive look he was giving her. "One of my foremen. Likes to call or text me for the tiniest things. Calls them emergencies, yet the 'emergencies' typically turn out to be non-emergencies and just an excuse to ask me out." John's eyes darkened at her explanation.

"John, I'm so sorry. Can you excuse me for just a minute while I take care of this?"

"Yes...of course."

"I'm so sorry...it'll just take me a minute..." She started to get up but he grabbed her waist and almost dragged her onto his lap and crushed her mouth with his. Her hands flew to his shoulders and grabbed onto him tightly. As quickly as he'd started, he stopped and then pulled back to look at her. A wide smile pulled his lips up and his eyes crinkled into little slits. His long, dark eyelashes almost completely covered his eyes. She couldn't help but return the smile. His was so beautiful, it was like staring at a bright light and she almost blinded by it.

"Hurry back." He whispered.

"Ye..." She cleared her throat and tried again. "Yeah..." She very shakily stood up and walked towards the bathrooms where she was going to call Liam back and chew his ass up one side and down the other for interrupting her incredibly satisfying date.

She glanced back at John before she entered the hallway that led to the ladies room and she found him watching her intently while a smirk played at his lips. She gave him the most sexy over-the-shoulder smile that she could and then walked down the hall out of sight. Her smile immediately fell as she dialed Liam's number and walked into the ladies room.

Liam picked up on the first ring and started talking before she could get a word in. "Hi Kat, it's Liam."

"Liam, I've asked you before to please call me Ms. Greyson."

"I know, I'm sorry, I forgot... I'm sorry to bother you but there's been a break-in down at the site."

"What?" She practically yelled. "Oh no!" She wailed. "What's been taken, any of the large equipment?"

"No Ms. Greyson. None of the machinery, but the police need for you to come down and inventory the loss for them."

"Wait, wouldn't you have a better idea of what's missing Liam?"

"That's what I told 'em, but they said you gotta be there since you're the owner."

"Damnit. OK, I'll be there as quick as I can. Thanks for the call. Sorry, I couldn't get to my phone earlier."

"Oh, it's OK Ms. Greyson... Hot date or somethin'?"

"I don't really think that's any of your business, Liam... I'll see you in a bit." She disconnected the call, took a deep breath, and walked out the door.

She gasped in surprise as she was immediately pressed against the wall and in the next second, John's mouth was once again pressed against hers. Oh how she wished that she could forget about the call and stay here with John, see what the night would bring...but she had to get down there to talk to the police. Her hands rose to encircle his neck as she pulled her mouth begrudgingly from his. He laid his forehead against hers as they both panted for breath.

"So, this Liam that called you. Is everything alright...is it another false alarm?"

She shook her head. "No...I actually do need to go down to the site and talk with the police."

"The police?" John stepped back and looked at her with concern.

"Yeah, there was a break in at the site and the police won't let Liam do the inventory for the theft. They'll only take it from me."

"I'm so sorry Kat."

"Yeah, me too..." She smiled warmly up at him. "This is by far the best date I've had in years."

"Well, that just means that we'll have to try for an even better one next time."

"Next time, huh?" Kat cocked a brow. "You still want to have a second date even though I'm running out on you during our first?"

"Oh yes, Kat. I definitely want to see you again. But this time, I'd like to have your number so that I can reach you if something were to come up... but I don't want it just so that can call to reschedule, I would also like to have it so that I can call you to set up our next date."

She beamed up at him "Of course!" She replied and even to her own ears she sounded just a little over eager.

They exchanged numbers and then John gave her one more quick kiss before reluctantly letting her go. She walked just as reluctantly away from him and out the door into the cool New York night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Once out in the cool air, Kat's head began to clear. 'Whoa!' She thought. That had to have been the most intense date she'd ever been on! Her body was still reeling from the feelings John had been oh-so-good at evoking within her. Perhaps this call from Liam was a good thing after all. Considering how quickly things had turned physical between her and John, she wouldn't have been at all surprised if they'd ended up at her apartment tonight, sleeping together. Kat allowed herself a minute to imagine what that might be like but she realized that she truly couldn't. The handful of men she had previously dated were boys compared to John's skilled expertise. She could tell _that _just by the way that he'd kissed her and what a kiss it had been! Her lips were still tingling. A cab pulled up to her as she signaled.

'Was THAT why she felt so drawn to the man?' No, Kat shook her head as she got into the cab. There was something else there, besides the pure, unadulterated attraction she felt towards him. Something about John; his presence, his actions, the way he moved...something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but he made her feel safe, cared for and appreciated as well as very feminine, and after spending most of her days acting like 'one of the guys; that was very important to her.

Even so, Kat wanted John to know that she wasn't in this for a one night stand. She wanted, no needed, something more than that. She picked up her phone to call him and tell him something to that effect when she suddenly decided not to; at least not until she'd dealt with the situation at the work site. She wanted to gather her thoughts before asking to him explain just what he was looking for. She knew it was awfully early on to ask, but considering how fast the physical part of whatever 'this' was had happened, she needed to make sure her emotions didn't get involved just as quickly; especially if their interests in each other weren't the same. She turned off her phone so that she wouldn't be tempted to call right now and turned her mind to how she was going to deal with the loss of equipment from her site.

John watched Kat walk out the door. He literally had to hold himself back from following her. He'd wanted so badly to offer to come with her to the site. He didn't like the fact that she was going there alone, even if the police would be there. He didn't like to think about her going alone to meet a man that; according to Kat, had a history of making up things just to get her around him. He might have to have a word or two with this Liam. Unless he was reading the situation wrong, John thought he might be justified in telling this guy that he didn't share well with others. But the police presence was the main reason why he couldn't make that offer to go with her. He couldn't take the chance that he might be recognized.

But, OH, he'd hated watching her walk out that door. He couldn't believe he'd let her go after less than an hour of their date. 'But what an hour it had been!' He smiled to himself as he got up to leave. He was elated that Kat seemed to want him as much as he wanted her. She was such a passionate woman, he doubted he'd be able to keep his hands off her the next time they met any more than he'd been able to this time.

That thought brought on another, less welcome, one. He hoped she didn't think he was just looking to have sex with her! Or worse yet, what if that was all she was looking for from him? He frowned at the thought. Would that be ok? Could he live with this being just a physical thing? One of heads said, 'Hell yes!', he was a man after all, but his heart wasn't so sure. He touched his ear, ready to dial Kat's number and... his phone beeped, startling him. He looked down the text he'd received and all the blood drained from his face.

When Kat got to the site, she was surprised not to find any police cars by the gate. Puzzled, she paid the cabbie and got out. Kat ignored the warning bells that started going off in her head the second her feet hit the gravel drive up to the site. She walked past the temporary guard station. It was empty...Where was Frank? Surely he'd be here too? 'He'd better be anyway!', because she wanted an explanation and NOW for how thieves had gotten into the site and stolen equipment, no matter how small, right out from under his nose!

Kat walked to the trailer, bewildered that there seemed to be no one around and even more odd; nothing seemed out of place from where it belonged. 'What the hell was going on here? Had Liam been able to take care of the police after all and they had all finished up, or more likely; had he called her down here under false pretenses?' If so, she was definitely going to fire his ass and not even wait until Monday!

Suddenly from behind, she felt something hard pressed against the small of her back. She heard the telltale click of a gun being cocked. "Hello Kat, thanks for coming down here so quickly." She heard Liam say in a quiet, menacing voice. "If you'll hand me your phone please." Since the words were followed by a sharp jab of the gun, she knew it wasn't a request.

"Liam, what the hell is going on here?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm. She knew as long as he stayed close to her with the gun, she had a chance at disarming him. As if he'd read her mind, he stepped back, allowing her to turn around.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Kat. Now, march over to the building and call down the elevator."

Kat reluctantly walked towards the building but just as she was passing Liam, she had an idea. She dropped her keys next to him and when she leaned down to retrieve them, she meant to swing up and hit him in a very vulnerable spot.

Unfortunately, Liam must have known what she had in mind because he stepped back away from her. "No funny business or else!" Kat was forced to stand up and Liam prodded her towards the elevator. "Get going! And take off your shoes. You'll fall if you try and walk the beams in those."

When they reached the elevator, she inserted her key into the mechanism that allowed the elevator to be raised and lowered. "Go to the third floor." Liam told her and she pressed the button. The elevator jerked into motion. Once they reached the third floor, Liam reached over and broke the key off in the mechanism so that the elevator could not be called from below. Now, the only way down would be through the material chute.

'This doesn't look good.' Kat thought. "Liam, what is going on here? Why did you call me here and where are the police?" She tried to distract him with her questions.

"Give me your hands!" Liam barked, not addressing her questions. When she didn't comply with him immediately, he raised his gun pointing it at her head. Not having any choice, she did as she was told and held out her hands. Liam tucked the gun in the waistband of his pants and proceeded to handcuff her wrists together.

'No, DEFINITELY not good.' Kat tried to fight the rising panic she was feeling. She needed to stay calm and continue to look for a way out of this. Her brother had taught her all manner of self-defense; at least ONE of them had to work sooner or later!

"Liam, please tell me what's going on! Where is Frank?"

"Well now, those handcuffs should do the trick." Liam swung Kat up over his shoulder and began to walk out on one of the I-beams that made up the skeleton of the building. "I've been paid to keep you from taking any more contracts in the city. You must have stepped on someone's dick, with those mannish ways you have. Always pretending to be tough and then flaunting yourself in front of everyone. Either way, somebody higher up the food chain wants you gone. Course, they left it up to me on HOW you'd go, so I think we'll have little fun first."

Kat trembled a little at those words. She HAD to get out of there now! Liam set her down onto the beam and she heard a chain rattling above her head. He pushed her hands above her head and linked them to a hook, so that she was hanging from a chain attached to a beam above. Her feet were barely able to touch the lone beam below and her arms ached from the strain already. The dim bulbs hanging from above revealed the expression on Liam's face that chilled her to the bone.

"See? I called you down here and look at the way you're dressed! You dressed that way just to tease me! You're such a dick tease, and now, I'm gonna give you what you've been asking for all along." Liam leered at her.

"No, Liam! I...you interrupted me on a date...I didn't..." Kat tried to get out but her mouth was so dry due to her fear. This COULDN'T be happening!

"So you'd show this..." His large hands reached over and ripped her dress off her shoulders, letting it fall down to the floors below them. "….. to another man?" Liam roared.

The fact that he wasn't worried about anyone hearing him caused Kat to realize that there would be no help coming.

"You'd let another man KISS you?" Liam said angrily and he grabbed the back of her head, pulling her to him and beginning to kiss her roughly.

Kat tried to kick him but it was like kicking a rock. He was so big that no matter how many times she kicked him, he seemed impervious to it. Liam's only response was to bite her shoulder, hard. She cried out as she felt his teeth break the skin.

"I'm in charge now, not you, bitch. I'll do what I want to you and you'll like it." He spat out. He went back to roughly kissing her and she could feel her lips bruising as a result and she tasted her own blood from his bites.

Without warning, she felt a knife against her skin between her breasts and then her bra was cut in half, totally exposing her. Kat gasped as she one of his hands closed around her breast and then he squeezed it hard.

"I knew you wanted this!" Liam snickered. "You wanted me to touch you here... and here..." He said as he cupped her through her panties.

"No, Liam. Stop, please, stop! I never..." Kat whimpered as she saw him start to unbuckle his pants.

"Stop denying it bitch!" He slapped her so hard across the face that she felt the skin on her cheek split. "You know you want me to fuck you! You've wanted it for a long time and now I'm gonna give it to you!" He hit her across the face again. "I'm gonna fuck your brains out and then I'm gonna kill you and collect my money!"

Liam dropped his pants and was in the process of reaching for her when they both heard a hard, angry voice from the shadows. Quite possibly the most wonderful sound Kat had heard in her life.

"Get your hands off her!"

Kat's head jerked up and her stomach leapt into her throat. 'John! Be careful!' She tried and failed to scream in enough time, everything happened so fast.

Liam spun around towards the voice and snarled. But in advancing to the voice and away from Kat, he made a critical mistake. Now that Kat was no longer in his line of fire, John didn't have any reason to hesitate. Three shots rang out in quick succession and Liam dropped like a stone, falling off the beam and landing with a thud three floors below. John rushed across the I-beam towards her.

"Kat!" John exclaimed, reaching up and unhooking her from the chain above. Kat's arms hurt so badly that she couldn't hold them up on her own and they dropped over John's shoulders.

"Oh, Kat, sweetheart! I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner! I tried calling..." John reached up and cupped her face in his hands. "Are you alright?" He looked at her eyes, trying to gauge how badly she had been traumatized.

Kat didn't trust herself to say anything right then so she just nodded. How he'd known that she'd needed him, she had no idea but Kat had never been so grateful to anyone in her entire life as she was to John. She looked up at him, feeling the sting of tears that had started to form. "Thank you." She whispered. "He...he was going to. He was. He was going kill me, John."

"Oh sweetheart." He said softly. John's fingers delicately traced around the cuts and what would surely be bruises tomorrow, on her face. Then he held her to him, trying with his actions, to show her that she was safe. He was here with her now and he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Kat let herself be comforted by John for a minute or two but then she became conscious of the fact that she had nothing on except her panties. John felt her pull away. 'God! If could shoot the bastard a thousand times more, it wouldn't be enough to make up for what he'd done to her!' His eyes darkened with anger and Kat saw it. She was afraid that it was directed at her, at the fact that maybe he thought she was rejecting him after he had just saved her life. Nothing could be further from the truth!

"John, I...I need to sit down for a minute."

He quickly softened his eyes and smiled down at Kat. He deliberately locked eyes with her and gently raised her arms and removed them from his neck. Then he took her hands in his and used his considerable skills with a lock pick pulled from his pocket to open the handcuffs around her wrists all without ever looking away from her eyes.

"Let's get you home." He said.

"No, John. I can't."

John stepped back. Had he presumed too much? He wouldn't blame her if she didn't want a man around for a while but he felt an inescapable urge to protect her. "Kat, I..."

"John, I can't go anywhere yet. I have to call the police and I'm not...I'm not dressed." Kat dropped her head in embarrassment and tried to cover herself as best she could now that her hands were free.

John breathed a sigh of relief as he realized she wasn't telling him that she wanted _him _to go. He chastised himself for not thinking of offering her some sort of cover before now. He had been more worried about her well-being than her modesty. He removed his shirt, hoping that all his scars wouldn't scare her too much. He wrapped his shirt around her shoulders and she smiled up at him, buttoning the shirt to cover her nakedness. She noted the myriad of scars on John's body and bit back a gasp. Now was not the time to ask about them. John took her hand in his and walked her over to the elevator.

"It won't work." Kat said. "Liam had me break off...my...key..." She halted as John pried open a panel and connected two wires. The elevator lurched into movement and descended down to the ground. "Well, I guess you're a good guy to have around." She smiled at him.

John returned her smile. "I'm glad you think so."

"I need to call the police. Someone needs to do something about Liam."

"Ok, this location is part of the 8th precinct and it just so happens I know two of the homicide detectives there. Let me give you their number. You'll want to speak to them privately

and explain that I was involved. I only ask that you not tell anyone else that I was here."

It seemed like a small enough thing to ask and she nodded her agreement. She wasn't sure why he wanted to avoid the police but she trusted him enough to know he must have good reason.

Retrieving her purse from where she'd dropped it when Liam grabbed her, she used her cell to call the number John gave her. They sat down together on a pile of materials to wait. John put his arm around Kat and pulled her close. Kat snuggled up to his warmth and tried to hold back the shaking she was beginning to feel taking over her body.

John felt it and just held her tighter. As they heard the sirens approaching, John sincerely regretted the fact that he was going to have to leave her on her own to retell and relive traumatic events of tonight.

"You'd better get going John, if you want to avoid the police."

John gave her hand a squeeze. "I'll be around if you really need me."

"I know." Kat answered and watched as John walked away and melted into the shadows by the gate.

Two hours later, Kat emerged from her trailer on the site dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and carrying John's shirt. Thankfully she'd always kept a complete change of clothes, including a bra and panties at the site just for accidents or emergencies. The police had taken pictures of her injuries and a Detective Carter had taken her statement. It was a bit easier to tell her story to a woman. The detective's eyes had flickered when she'd mentioned that John Reese had saved her. At that point, the Detective had closed her notepad and nodded.

"I'll just interview your security guard if you don't mind." And Detective Carter walked over to where Frank was being treated for a concussion. He had been knocked out from behind by Liam.

The police were wrapping up their investigation and didn't need her there anymore. She'd just cleared the gate when she felt a presence next to her.

"Hi." She said shyly.

"Hello, Kat." John spoke softly. "I'm surprised the Detective didn't take you home. I figured you would feel safer being driven home rather than walking."

Kat turned to face John. "Oh, Detective Carter offered to drive me home. She was very sweet, but I had a feeling... you'd be waiting for me. And right now, there isn't another person on the planet that I feel safer with."

John reached up and ran his knuckles lightly under her jaw bone. She didn't even flinch, a testament as to how much she really did trust him. He ground his teeth together in anger at what the dead man, Liam, had done to her. Once again, he wished that the man wasn't dead, so that he could take more time to kill him again. He reached down and took her hand.

"Are you sure you're ok to walk home? I could call you a cab."

She nodded at him, "I'm ok." And then handed him his shirt. He slipped it over his broad shoulders and she was almost sad that she'd returned it.

"Let's get you home then, OK?"

"Yeah." She whispered.

They both turned and walked out to the sidewalk that surrounded the site and headed towards Kat's home. There wasn't much in the way of conversation between them as they walked. John wanted to ask her how she was doing every few feet but he got the impression that an exorbitant amount of inquiries into her state of mind would just serve to piss her off and that was the last thing that he wanted to do. He also wanted to question her further as to her thoughts on why Liam might have attacked her. But that could wait as well.

When John had received the text with Kat's name and address along with her social; he'd almost lost it. He realized than this was the second time in a month that he'd received her number. He hadn't made the connection right away between the Katherine Greyson that Stanfield had been after - with this Kat; HIS Kat. Suddenly, he couldn't get out of that coffee shop fast enough. He'd left the Lincoln at his apartment and walked down to meet Kat earlier that evening, which he'd regretted when he had to hail a cab to get to her construction site. He almost got sick thinking that he might have been too late if he hadn't met up with her this evening...he wouldn't have been able to get to her in time...to stop the bastard from... He ordered his train of thought to cease because he didn't want to deal with the possibility of failing someone else...not so soon after Harold.

He heard Kat whimper softly and felt her trying to pull her hand from his. He looked down and saw her brow furrowed in what looked like pain. He glanced down at their hands and realized that he had, in his anger, been squeezing her hand. He immediately recoiled and dropped her hand. He'd been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized...

He looked up at her. "God, Kat...I'm so sorry." He dropped his eyes and began walking again slowly away from her. He heard her hurry to catch up to him and start walking beside him again.

"Penny for your thoughts." She said softly. And then he felt her hand slip into his once more.

He looked down at her incredulously. How could she want to be near him, much less touch him after he'd just hurt her? She amazed him, that's for sure.

"I'm not sure you want to hear my thoughts, Kat."

"I kind of figured they weren't pleasant when you tried to go all ninja on my hand." She chuckled lightly and again, he was amazed at her resilience.

"I'm sorry Kat." He rubbed his thumb along hers as they walked.

"I know, John... I'm angry too."

'Hmm', he thought,...'resilient _and _insightful'. John knew that they were almost to Kat's apartment and he wasn't looking forward to leaving her there all alone. He knew that the threat had been taken care of tonight but until he found out exactly _why _Liam had been trying to hurt her, and whether anyone was behind Liam's attempt, he wouldn't be able to relax.

The last block that they walked wasn't in total silence. Kat talked a little about her brother Mike. He was currently serving overseas but was supposed to have a leave coming up in six months. She talked about her uncle too and how he had taken them both in when their parents had died and then how Mike had cared for her when he turned eighteen and could legally do so. He was happy to have a chance to learn some personal aspects of her life. It made him feel closer to her. He wished that he could do the same with her.

When they reached her apartment she didn't let go of his hand but instead led him up the stairs to the front door. She dug out her keys from her small purse and let them both in. He followed her up the stairs and down the hall to her second floor apartment. He hadn't expected her to bring him upstairs but he certainly didn't question the fact that she did. Maybe she was as nervous to be alone as he was to leave her like that. She unlocked her door and then took his hand again without a word of explanation.

As was his habit, his eyes immediately scanned the room when he walked in with her. A decent sized living room, a glass door that led out onto a small patio, just enough room for two chairs to fit comfortably side by side. A cozy little kitchen sat off to the left and the hall was at the back of the living room. Nice, clean place, he noticed. Not too big, but then a single woman with no husband or children didn't need anything more.

Kat let go of his hand and walked over to hang her purse on the hook. She turned to John. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure, anything's fine."

He watched her walk into the kitchen and grab two beers out of the refrigerator. She didn't even turn on the lights. She twisted off the caps and threw them in the trashcan and walked back over to him.

"I hope beer's ok, I don't really have the energy to mess with the mixed drinks tonight."

He reached over and took one of the bottles from her. "Kat, thank you. Beer's fine. I didn't come up expecting a fully stocked bar." He smiled a one-sided smile and then took a long pull from the bottle.

"What _did _you expect?" She asked him simply and then stepped closer, almost closing the distance between them. He reached behind his back and slid his gun from the waistband of his pants and set it down on the little table next to the door.

"I expected to take a look at these..." He lifted his hand and ran his finger close to the worst looking cut on her cheek, then moved to the one below that was dangerously close to her lip. "...and to get them cleaned up a bit."

She nodded and then turned away from him, crossing the living room to head down the hall. She paused and looked back at him. "First aid stuff's back here."

John took another pull from the beer and set it down on the table next to his gun then followed Kat down the hall. He stopped at the doorway where the light was shining out from the bathroom. He watched as Kat took out peroxide, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, some gauze, a pair of surgical scissors, a few Q-tips, a box of Band-aids and a tube of Neosporin. He raised his brows at her wide range of over the counter medical supplies.

"So, do you have surgical sutures in there too?" He joked.

"Yeah, do you think I need it?"

He was taken aback for a minute by her answer. 'Why in the world would she need sutures? Was she that used to being hurt, perhaps while on the job'? "Uhh.. I don't think so... Here let me take a look."

He stepped closer to her and turned her so that her back was against the sink and her wounds were in the brightest light. She hopped backwards up onto the sink next to the supplies so that she was a little higher up for him.

He cut a piece of the gauze and poured some peroxide on it and then began to clean around the largest cut on her cheek. She sat there without making a sound but he watched muscles in her jaw jump from time to time. He knew it was probably uncomfortable for her but her eyes had taken on a glazed look as he worked. The next step wasn't going to be easy for her though. The alcohol was going to burn like hell. He knew, he'd been through it before, more times than he cared to remember. He dabbed away the remaining peroxide bubbles and then poured the alcohol onto a fresh piece of gauze. The first time he touched her skin with it she jerked and her nostrils flared but that was the only indication that felt anything that he was doing. When he was finished cleaning and assessing her face, he smiled.

"Good news, no stitches needed." He reached down and touched her knee. Her eyes flickered down to his hand and then quickly back up to his face.

"What about this one?" She pulled at the neckline of her tee shirt. He leaned closer but saw nothing. When his blank look indicated that he saw nothing, she leaned back from him yanked her shirt off over her head. He was completely floored by her action.

"Kat?" He questioned. Her long hair had fallen over her shoulders and she grabbed at it, twisting it around with her hands and pulling it over her right shoulder. She pointed at a spot about half way between her neck and her left shoulder. John felt himself blanch. There was an angry looking, oval-shaped, wound that looked like a... 'God, was that a bite mark?' he thought. He stepped closer to her and leaned down to look at it more closely. He gingerly touched around the sides and this time she did audibly cry out.

"Mother fucker." He mumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, he probably was." She spat out. His laugh was just a quick exhale of air through his nose.

He grabbed another piece of gauze and started doctoring the bite. He spent extra time cleaning that one out. Sure, it was a human bite but God only knew what kind of diseases that asshole had been carrying around. When he was done, he put some of the Neosporin on a square of gauze and Kat pointed to the open cabinet under the sink. He saw the medical tape and pulled out four pieces and laid the gauze on top of the bite and then applied the four pieces of tape.

He leaned back and surveyed his work and then looked back up at her face. She was looking up at him, studying him with an intense look in her eyes. He brought his hand up to her cheek.

"Kat? You OK?"

When she finally spoke, her voice had taken on a raspy quality and he could hear it quivering slightly. "He was going to kill me you know. He was going to use my body for his own

disgusting, selfish, pleasure. Then he was going to kill me and throw my body away like a piece of garbage."

"Oh God, Kat..." John had an overwhelming urge to reach up and try to smooth away the frown that was wrinkling her beautiful face. Rather than trying to quell the urge, he allowed himself to do so. He moved closer to her, stepping between her legs. His hands cradled her face, careful not to touch the cuts as he smoothed the pads of his thumbs from the top her nose out in an arc over her eyebrows. He repeated the motion several times, with each arc he swept his thumbs higher across her forehead. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I won't make that mistake again."

"So... does that mean... are you leaving now?" She asked.

"Do you want me to leave?"

She shook her head no and then he felt her hands come to rest on his waist where her fingers hooked into the belt loops on either side of his jeans. Her eyes never left his.

"Please don't."

"I'll stay as long as you need me to, Kat."

He continued stroking her face until she spoke again and then his fingers stopped. "Will you stay as long as I want you to, John?"

He felt his breath catch in his throat as he tried to swallow. "Kat... I don't think..."

He was unable to finish his sentence because she slid her fingers from his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him roughly down to crush his mouth with hers. He was taken by surprise but it didn't take him long to respond to her. He felt her legs wrap around his waist and then her heels dug into the backs of his leg. John wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her up off the sink. He held her tightly against his chest as her mouth continued its sweet assault on his. Her teeth nipped and played with his lips and when she gasped for breath his tongue dove into her mouth where it was met with equal fervor from hers.

Something deep inside of him screamed that this wasn't right. He tried to ignore it but it wouldn't go away. He'd learned to listen to that little voice, warning bells, whatever you'd call it, long ago and he wasn't going to stop now. There was no way that he could allow this to go any further, not after what she'd been through earlier tonight. He tried to set her back down on the sink but she wouldn't relinquish her hold on either his neck or his waist. He pulled his head back from her so that he could try to reason with her.

"Kat..." He got out before her mouth was on his again. One of his hands slid up to cup the back of her head. He couldn't seem to stay focused on the task at hand...not with her insistent tongue sneaking its way back through his lips.

He sighed internally and tried again to pull back from her. "Kat...stop... We…"

'Better.' He thought. He was able to get out three words this time before she had him reeling again. He could tell that he was going to have to be a little more forceful with her if was going to get through to her. He stepped closer to the sink and leaned forward so that she was now sitting on the counter and then reached around behind him to pull her legs from around his waist. She whimpered but it didn't really deter her progress. He reached up and grabbed her arms and unwound them from around his neck. Her hands flew to his and started grasping at the front of his shirt, frantically trying to unbutton it. She was able to make her way halfway down before he grabbed her wrists with both of his hands and pushed them together. He pushed them back towards her chest to ease her away from him.

"Kat..."

"Please don't stop..."

"Kat, you can't...you don't want this right now." He let go of one of her wrists and placed his hand against her cheek. Her face transformed from soft and pliant to hard and angry.

"Don't..." She tried to pull away from his hand. "Don't tell me what I want."

"That's not what... I'm trying to do. I'm sorry... I." She'd misunderstood what he was trying to tell her.

She reached up with her free hand and wrapped it around his wrist. "Would you like to know what I DO want?" John started stroking her cheek with his thumb but Kat didn't give him the chance to answer her question. "What I _want _is to have your lips on mine. I want you to kiss me for so long that I don't remember my name..." She pulled his hand downward as she continued speaking. "I want to feel your hands..." She continued pulling his hand down over her chest, pausing to inhale deeply when she stopped his hand over her breast. "...running all over my body." She closed her eyes and he had to bite back a groan as his fingers brushed her taut nipple and then she pulled his hand further down over her stomach. Before she able to pull his hand between her legs he pulled it back completely. Her eyes snapped open and turned up to his. "What I DON'T want to feel, is that bastard's lips bruising mine, or his knife slicing open my bra, or his hand..." She pulled his hand roughly between her legs. "...here." She cocked a brow up at him, her forehead once again wrinkling into a harsh frown. "Would you like to know what else I DON'T want to feel John?" Again, she didn't leave him enough time to respond, but he had a feeling that she wasn't necessarily wanting a response. "His teeth, John...pressing down so hard into my skin that it breaks and bleeds, all while I'm trying to convince him that I didn't dress like I did just to tease him."

John watched as she fought valiantly to keep from crying. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and make her feel safe, make her forget... But he knew that she needed to get this out so he stood there quietly and just listened until he knew that she was ready for him to speak.

"I didn't... I don't want those to be my last thoughts today..." She was breathing heavily and her face was flushed in her anger. She pulled his hand from between her legs and brought it up to rest on her cheek. Then she pulled her other hand free from his grasp. She grabbed onto his hips and pulled him closer to her so that he was nestled tighter between her legs. "Please John, I want your lips on mine. I want to feel your hands on me... everywhere... I want to feel your teeth brush against my skin because I know you won't break it like some kind of rabid dog." She swallowed hard as the tears that had been pooling in both eyes. One spilled over to run down the side of her face, while another ran only as far as fingers. "What I want..." Her voice broke and then she continued in a much softer voice. "What I want is to forget."

She went to grab his other hand that had come to rest benignly on the counter next to her but he pulled it back before she reached it. The tortured look in her eyes grabbed onto his heart and squeezed with the force of a thousand fingers. He slowly and deliberately raised his hand to rest firmly against her other cheek, taking care to not touch the cuts there.

"Kat...you don't have to _make _me touch you. I already want to... so bad...it hurts. I hope you know that." His thumbs started caressing her face; gently wiping away the tears. He leaned down and touched his lips to her forehead and then leaned back. "But...this isn't how it should be...not our first time." He leaned forward again and lightly pressed his lips to hers then leaned back again.

A fresh set of tears spilled down her cheeks onto his fingers. "Oh God..." She started. That same stricken look returned to her face.

"What...what's wrong, Kat?"

She tried to lower her head but his hands held it up. Kat grabbed onto his wrists and tried to pull them away. "No, don't... don't look at me."

He whispered. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

"You must think I'm completely out of my mind...coming on to you like that...after I was almost...Oh God...Only a whore would... Oh God!" She wailed.

"No..." He wrapped his long arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "No, no, no... I don't think that Kat; not at all!"

Her sobs wracked her body as she tried to push him away. "How could you NOT think that."

He raised his voice to make sure that she heard him over her crying and struggling. "Because, I'm not HIM!" He wasn't sure if it was his words or the tone of voice, but Kat froze. The only thing that moved was the rise and fall of her chest. He prayed to God that he hadn't frightened her to the point of sending her into shock. He held her for another minute before he leaned back and looked down at her. Her head fell forward, her hair hung down on either side of her face essentially hiding her from him. He reached out and swept both sides behind her shoulders where he twisted it so that it wouldn't fall forward again.

He took a chance and spoke very softly to her. "Kat?"

She didn't raise her head, she just shook it slowly back and forth. "Oh John... I'm so...so very sorry."

"Hey... don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes I do." She slowly looked up at him.

Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her cheeks were stained from the tracks of her tears, her nose and her cheeks were dark pink, and he thought she was achingly beautiful. He had no idea how he was going to restrain himself tonight; if she even still wanted him to stay with her. If he had to sleep on the floor to keep himself under control, then he would.

"I do... You saved my life. You could have taken advantage of the situation at any time and you didn't... You've been nothing but a gentleman and I've been nothing but..."

"A trusting, traumatized and scared woman, with every right to... lose it a little."

She sniffed and wiped at her face with short jerky movements. 'Yeah...and come on to the guy that put his own life on the line to save me, then yell at him when he doesn't reciprocate? Yeah, I'd say I lost it...I lost it a lot, John."

"Oh Kat...make no mistake... I wanted, I want to reciprocate. I want YOU...more than you know. Please understand. I don't do..." He waved his hand between the two of them. "...this...I don't have one night stands...and especially not... I want... this to go further...but not tonight."

He watched as a single tear rolled down her face. "Please don't leave tonight. You can have my bed, I'll sleep on the couch...just... don't leave."

"I would have slept outside on your doorstep, Kat."

"Oh..." She gasped. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. He held her close until she leaned back and looked up at him. "Can you... " She dropped her eyes.

"What? Look at me please, Kat."

She slowly looked up at him through hooded eyes. Her cheeks that had finally cooled a minute ago were now flaming red again. "I want you...to kiss me." She inhaled sharply before could respond and continued. "I...please...I'm not asking for anything else tonight...I..." He cut her off by lowering his mouth to hers. As he slowly pressed his lips against hers, she made the sweetest little sound. He continued kissing her like that for several minutes before he parted her lips with his and sucked her lower lip between his. Her hands left his body and grabbed onto the edge of the sink. He pulled back from her immediately, worried that he'd gone too far.

"What's the matter...are you ok?"

"Well..yes... why did you stop?"

He searched her face, taking in her lips that had turned a rosy pink from his own and then he saw her dilated pupils. Maybe he'd misunderstood... He glanced down at her hands holding the edge of the counter in a death grip. Her eyes followed his.

"Oh...um..." She grinned sheepishly up at him. "If I didn't get my hands off you, I was going to start ripping your clothes off."

He closed his eyes and felt the grin lift one side of his mouth. "It's getting late, Kat. Are you going to take a shower before bed?"

She grinned back at him before answering. "Actually, I'd like to take a bath and I'm sorry to say that you're not invited...this time."

He pulled her off the counter into his arms and kissed her fully on her smart little mouth and then quickly set her back on her feet. She swayed against him as her eyes blinked open.

"Well then, I look forward to next time." He said with a wicked smile and then turned and left the bathroom. He heard her sigh forcefully and when he turned around and sat down the living room couch, he saw her peek around the doorway at him... she winked and then quickly disappeared back into the bathroom. He heard the water start and then he saw her dart across the hall into where he assumed her bedroom was and then back into the bathroom with a change of clothes. She was in there for about forty-five minutes before he heard the tell-tale sign of the water draining from the tub. When she emerged she looked more like the woman that he'd met earlier that night.

"I put some clean clothes in there that should fit you...if you'd like to take a shower." She paused at the look on his face. "No...they're not an ex-boyfriend's, they're my brother's. He's not quite as tall as you but they'll do if you want to get cleaned up."

"I think I may do that, thank you." John rose from the couch and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug and kissed her forehead before he headed to bathroom.

When he emerged from the bathroom, the steam poured out in waves behind him. He looked down the hall towards the living room but didn't see Kat on the couch. He glanced into the room across the hall where a small lamp cast a warm glow that exited in a rectangular block of light out into the hall. He walked in and Kat was lying on the bed wrapped in blankets. He almost turned around and headed to the couch but something drew him to her. He leaned over her and gently swept a few strands of hair off of her face. She stirred as he withdrew his hand. He felt her hand on his as he turned to go.

"Stay...please? There's plenty of room." She looked up at him imploringly. "I promise to be on my best behavior."

He grinned down at her. God help him, he was not able to refuse her. He sat down on the edge of the bed and slid his long legs under the sheet and blankets. He leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead. Then he slid his left arm under her back and wrapped his right arm over her stomach and pulled her towards him as he lay down, her back resting firmly against his chest, his arms still wrapped securely around her.

He felt her sigh and then her hands wrapped around his as she whispered. "Thank you, John."

"You're welcome, Kat. Good Night."

"Good Night, John."

He settled in against her warm body and within minutes...against all odds, he was asleep.


End file.
